Exeter trip to start off Black Op’s chasing life

» ONE of the early favourites for the Cheltenham Festival, Black Op, is set to start his chasing career imminently.

Tom George plans to send the JLT Novices’ Chase market leader to Exeter on December 7.

A Grade One winner over hurdles, the seven-year-old had to miss an engagement at the track on November 14 as the ground was too fast.

With plenty of rain around this week, his Slad trainer is hopeful his runner-up to Samcro in the Ballymore can make his seasonal reappearance on Friday week.

“Hopefully he’ll go to Exeter’s next meeting,” said George. “There’s a two-and-a-half mile novices’ chase there. He needs a galloping track.

“I’ve been delighted with him. He likes a bit of cut in the ground so will appreciate the weather we’re having.”

George, who plans to run Haldon Gold Cup winner God’s Own in the Tingle Creek or Peterborough Chase, stresses he was not too disheartened by the performances of The Worlds End and Seddon at the November Meeting at Cheltenham.

“In Seddon’s race they bypassed some of the hurdles due to the low sun and he made a mistake at the top of the hill. “I wasn’t disappointed with either of them.”